Awwad Alawwad العربية

His Excellency Dr.Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad

Adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of Minister

Born in Riyadh in 1972 to the Alawwad family of Diriyah. His career spans finance, investment, diplomacy, media and human rights. As Minister of Culture and Information he opened the Kingdom's first cinema after a 35-year absence and launched the International and Government Communication Centers.

His Excellency Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad
Current role
Adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of Minister, since 2022
Born
Riyadh, 11 April 1972
Family
Alawwad, of Diriyah
Doctorate
PhD in Financial Markets Regulation, University of Warwick

Biography

Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad was born in Riyadh on 11 April 1972. He belongs to the Al Awwad family of Diriyah, which descends from Al Aidh of Abidah, of Qahtan. He studied at the College of Administrative Sciences at King Saud University, then specialized where law meets finance: an LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University and a PhD in Financial Markets Regulation from the University of Warwick.

He began his career at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency in 2000, then joined the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority as Deputy Governor, where he headed the National Competitiveness Center and oversaw the "10×10" program to improve the business environment. He went on to advise on economic and financial affairs in the Office of the Governor of Riyadh Region, and then in the Private Office of the Crown Prince.

In 2015 he was appointed Ambassador to Germany, and in April 2017 Minister of Culture and Information. In twenty months at the ministry he launched the International and Government Communication Centers and led the return of cinema to the Kingdom, from approving the first licenses to opening the first cinema on 18 April 2018.

In August 2019 he became President of the Human Rights Commission and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking. During his tenure the Kingdom was upgraded twice in a row in the U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report. In September 2022 he was appointed Adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of Minister, his current position.

Education

  • 1993
    Bachelor's degree, College of Administrative SciencesKing Saud University, Riyadh
  • 1996
    LL.M. in Banking and Financial LawBoston University, United States
  • 2000
    PhD in Financial Markets RegulationUniversity of Warwick, United Kingdom

Leadership and executive programs

  • Executive Education Program, Harvard University
  • Singapore Government Program for Economic Development
  • Cranfield Program for Senior Management and Banking Operations
  • Eisenhower Fellowship for Young Leaders

Career

  1. 2000 – 2004

    Director of Financial Studies and Banking Supervision

    Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA)
  2. 2004 – 2010

    Deputy Governor for Marketing and Licensing; head of the National Competitiveness Center

    Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA)
  3. 2010 – 2013

    Acting Adviser for Economic and Financial Affairs

    Office of the Governor of Riyadh Region
  4. 2013 – 2015

    Adviser for Economic and Financial Affairs

    Private Office of the Crown Prince
  5. Oct 2015 – Apr 2017

    Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

    to the Federal Republic of Germany
  6. Apr 2017 – Jun 2018

    Minister of Culture and Information

    Appointed by royal order on 22 April 2017
  7. Jun – Dec 2018

    Minister of Media

    After a separate Ministry of Culture was created on 2 June 2018
  8. Dec 2018 – Aug 2019

    Adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of Minister

    Royal Court
  9. Aug 2019 – Sep 2022

    President of the Human Rights Commission with the rank of Minister

    and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking
  10. Jun 2020 – 2022

    Chairman of the Board

    National Center for Performance Measurement (Adaa)
  11. Sep 2022 – present

    Adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of Minister Current

    Royal Order A/56, 22 September 2022

Achievements

Investment and the business environment 2004 – 2010

  • Headed the National Competitiveness Center and oversaw the "10×10" program to improve the Kingdom's business environment.
  • Represented the Kingdom in bilateral negotiations, led its delegations in World Trade Organization disputes, and served as vice-chair of several joint economic committees.

Diplomacy 2015 – 2017

  • Represented the Kingdom in Germany, Europe's largest economy, in political and economic forums, and worked to strengthen Saudi–German ties in investment and trade.
  • Served in Berlin when Saudi Vision 2030 was launched in April 2016.

One voice for the state 2017 – 2018

  • Launched the International Communication Center in August 2017.
  • Launched the Government Communication Center in January 2018 to unify the Kingdom's media message at home and abroad, in coordination with government entities.

The return of cinema 2017 – 2018

  • On 11 December 2017 the board of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, which he chaired, approved the issuing of cinema licenses.
  • Within three months the cinema licensing regulation was approved, in coordination with the ministries of interior, finance and municipal affairs, civil defense, customs and the standards authority. It set three license types: construction, operating activity, and operating permanent and temporary venues. He described the relaunch of cinema as a turning point toward building a cultural economy.
  • On 18 April 2018 he opened the Kingdom's first cinema after a 35-year absence, at King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. The Government Communication Center shared the opening video with the world.
  • He then handed the third license to the Al Rashed–Empire alliance, which planned 30 cinemas over three years, followed by the fourth license to Lux Entertainment.

Hajj media 2018

  • In August 2018 he launched a Hajj media plan that included the "Hajj Media Portal" and a unified visual and verbal identity adopted by all participating entities from the 1439 AH season.
  • The ministry hosted 800 journalists from regional and international channels and newspapers that season.

Broadcasting and official channels 2017 – 2018

  • Established the Higher Committee for the Development of Radio and Television Broadcasting.
  • Restructured the official channels to give them more room to work professionally.

Human rights and combating trafficking 2019 – 2022

  • Took over the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking when the Kingdom was ranked Tier 3, the lowest, in the U.S. State Department's 2019 report.
  • The Kingdom moved to the Tier 2 Watch List in the 2020 report and to Tier 2 in 2021, and kept that ranking in 2022: two consecutive upgrades in two years, which he attributed to the reforms the Kingdom adopted.
  • The Human Rights Commission developed legal and procedural frameworks for protecting rights during his tenure.

Measuring government performance 2020 – 2022

  • Chaired the board of Adaa, the center that measures the performance of government entities and beneficiary satisfaction with their services.

Family and origins

His Excellency Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad belongs to the Alawwad family, one of the families of Diriyah. The family traces its lineage to Al Aidh of Abidah, of the Qahtan tribe, and is listed among the Al Yazid families, with branches in Diriyah, Julajil and Al-Ghat.

  1. Al-Muntakhab fi Dhikr Ansab Qaba'il al-Arab Abdulrahman Al-Mughairi, edited by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Zaid, 2nd edition, 1405 AH, p. 287

    Lists "Al Awwad, people of Diriyah" among the families descended from Aidh.

  2. Al-La'ith min Nasab Qabilat Aidh Abdulhakim bin Abdulrahman Alawwad, 1st edition, 1430 AH, ISBN 9786140237865, chapter "The Al Yazid families"

    Records Al Awwad in Diriyah, Julajil and Al-Ghat, and states that the Najdi families belonging to Aidh descend from Aidh of Abidah, of Qahtan.

Questions

Who is Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad?

A Saudi official who has served since September 2022 as Adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of Minister. He was previously Minister of Culture and Information (2017–2018), Minister of Media (2018), President of the Human Rights Commission (2019–2022) and Ambassador to Germany (2015–2017).

What is his current position?

Adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of Minister, under Royal Order A/56 issued on 22 September 2022.

When and where was he born?

In Riyadh, on 11 April 1972.

Where does the Alawwad family come from?

The Alawwad family is one of the families of Diriyah, and traces its lineage to Al Aidh of Abidah, of Qahtan. Al-Mughairi lists it in Al-Muntakhab (p. 287) as "Al Awwad, people of Diriyah", and Al-La'ith lists it among the Al Yazid families.

What are his academic qualifications?

A bachelor's degree from the College of Administrative Sciences at King Saud University (1993), an LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University (1996), and a PhD in Financial Markets Regulation from the University of Warwick (2000).

What was his role in the return of cinema to Saudi Arabia?

As Minister of Culture and Information he chaired the board of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, which approved cinema licenses on 11 December 2017. The cinema licensing regulation was issued under his leadership, and on 18 April 2018 he opened the Kingdom's first cinema after a 35-year absence.

What was his role in government communication?

He launched the International Communication Center in August 2017 and the Government Communication Center in January 2018, to unify the Kingdom's media message at home and abroad.

What was achieved while he led the Human Rights Commission?

While he chaired the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, the Kingdom's ranking in the U.S. State Department report rose from Tier 3 (2019) to the Tier 2 Watch List (2020) and then to Tier 2 (2021), which it kept in 2022.

Sources

  1. Opening of the first cinema, Asharq Al-Awsat (Arabic)
  2. Audiovisual Media Commission approves cinema licenses, Al-Madina (Arabic)
  3. Cinema licensing regulation approved, Slaati (Arabic)
  4. Third license to Al Rashed–Empire, Aleqtsad (Arabic)
  5. Fourth license to Lux, Aleqtsad (Arabic)
  6. Government Communication Center shares the opening video, Almowaten (Arabic)
  7. Communication centers and the Hajj media plan, areq.net (Arabic)
  8. Ministry of Culture created, June 2018, Alyaum (Arabic)
  9. Royal orders of 27 December 2018, Aleqtsad (Arabic)
  10. 2020 upgrade, National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking
  11. 2021 upgrade, Ajel
  12. Adaa board, June 2020, Almowaten (Arabic)
  13. Royal Orders A/55 and A/56, September 2022, Ajel (Arabic)
  14. Boston University School of Law alumni news
  15. Awwad Alawwad, Saudipedia (Arabic)